Less than two weeks away from his defence of the US Open title Graeme McDowell suffered the potentially devastating shock of an 81 – the joint worst round of his entire European Tour career.

On the course where he was not only Europe’s Ryder Cup hero last October, but also Wales Open champion five months earlier, the world number five crashed from one off the lead to an incredible 11 strokes adrift.

Swede Alex Noren still leads after a rollercoaster ride of a 71 in the windy conditions – compatriot Peter Hanson and Dane Anders Hansen are one behind, Hansen after a superlative 66 – but the story of the day was inevitably McDowell’s tumble from second place overnight to 33rd.

And this less than a month since he collapsed from first to 33rd with a closing 79 at the Players Championship in Florida.

It could have been even more of a meltdown, though. He thought he might get a two-shot penalty for tapping down the ground as a chip came back to him on the 12th, but he escaped that because it was down in anger rather than with the intention to improve his lie.